Pete Hegseth was ‘the first’ to push for war with Iran, Trump reveals: ‘Let’s do it’
By Ryan King
Published March 24, 2026, 9:17 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was “the first” person in the Trump administration to push for war with Iran, the president claimed Monday.
Trump revealed during a public safety roundtable in Memphis, Tenn. that he had surveyed his top military brass about how he should handle the situation, and Hegseth quickly advocated for military action to stop the theocratic regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“I called a lot of our great people. We have great people, and I said, ‘Let’s talk. We got a problem in the Middle East. We have a country known as Iran that, for 47 years, has been just a purveyor of terror, and they’re close to a nuclear weapon,'” Trump recalled.
“Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up. And you said, ‘Let’s do it, because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,'” Trump added.
Hegseth, who was seated next to Trump, nodded and gave a faint smile as the president spoke.
The US began Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, participating in joint attacks on Iran with Israel. Since then, the American military has struck more than 9,000 targets and damaged or destroyed more than 140 Iranian ships, according to data from US Central Command.
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https://nypost.com/2026/03/24/us-news/pete-hegseth-was-the-first-to-push-for-war-with-iran-trump-reveals-lets-do-it/
